Constance Planted Her Bios Urn® in her backyard in San Francisco
Constance Flannery was married to her husband Owen for 45 years. When Owen passed away in 2014 from a heart attack, Constance decided to use a Bios Urn® to plant his cremated remains. She ultimately ended up choosing a ¨Princess Bush¨ as her plant of choice, and planted it in her backyard in San Francisco. She thought her husband would get a kick out of her ironic and light-hearted choice. The Princess Bush is growing healthily in her backyard, where she takes it upon herself to water it daily.
We visited Constance in May of 2015 to speak with her, since she was one of the first people to use a Bios Urn®. She told us about her experience using a Bios Urn®, and how she planted it with her son in her backyard. She chose an alternative to traditional burial because she has never believed in embalming and thinks it´s bad for the environment. Constance is a firm believer that we come from nature, and eventually we all return to nature. During our chat, she spoke fondly about the ceremony and integrating the Bios Urn® into it, “you´re not all crying and mourning, you´re celebrating life, and death is an actual part of life. We weren´t emphasizing the end. It was all about the life he lived, and that was what really mattered.” Spending time with Constance was a wonderful experience, and we shared similar ideas about life, and the world.
Constance on CBS San Francisco
In 2016, CBS San Francisco did a story on the Bios Urn®, and interviewed Constance on her experience with using a Bios Urn® for her husband Owen. They visited her in her home, and got to see the beautiful Princess Bush she planted in her backyard, just as we did the year prior. She showed them photos of her husband and invited them into the home they inhabited for most of their lives. When we spoke with Constance, she told us how important the experience of planting him was, and how it was significant to her sons as well. Every country and religion and culture has different ways of dealing with death, but what rings true for Constance, is that death is unknown and that if there is anything worth celebrating in this world, it is life, and the life of one you love dearly. To Constance, love was a clear theme in her decisions as a wife, a mother, and as someone who inhabits this Earth. She expressed beliefs in loving life as a whole, and in loving the Earth and respecting it. As Constance said, it´s best to “try to leave this planet a little better than you found it, and not worse.” We couldn´t agree more.
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I would, I think it would be great maybe family could water the tree
Great 🙂
Please send more info to my email. What a fantastic idea
Will do!
So beautiful. Leaving a legacy to your family and the earth.
Please send info to my email above.
Done! 😉
What a wonderful concept. I look forward to following you and learning more.
Thank you Mary, feel free to check http://www.urnabios.com/urn for more information.
Very much interested i n this procedure..
Thanks!
What a wonderful idea! I’m all for it & very interested in having one . I plan on getting cremated & also love plants. (Trees)
One question though, where would a person plant this at?
Just open for suggestions & more information please .
Thank you so much! 🙂
Hello Lori, you can plant the Bios Urn where you want to.
But I don’t want to plant in my back yard because the house will belong to someone else in future. I’m sure they wouldn’t appreciate having my remains in their yard. Plus I don’t want to be planted in a place where I may not like the people.
Is it permissible to be planted in a public area, (park, lake, etc.)? Do cities allow that?
Hello Jan,
Some pleaces do allow for the planting of a Bios Urn, like gold courses, churches, forests, parks, natural burial grounds, and cemeteries. Where are you located? If you need assistance finding a spot, you can email us and we can assist you! [email protected]
Great Idea
Thank you!
I live in Texas and am concerned that the species of tree will not grow in our area. Where can I get information on the species?
Hello Gina, we can help you choose the best seed for your Bios Urn. Email us to [email protected]
I can’t seem to find the whole procedure for this. Both my husband and I will be creamated, and we want to be put in the same urn together, then our daughter take our ashes out into the National Forest. But this sounds AWESOME! Could you please send me some information? Thank you!
Hello Joyce,
You can order your Bios Urn from http://www.urnabios.com/shop and then take it to the crematorium so they can fill it with the cremated remains (ashes)
You can also transfer the ashes by yourself if those are already in an urn.
Feel free to check http://www.urnabios.com/urn and http://www.urnabios.com/faq for more information.
All the best,
I would like more information and price please.
Hi Dina, the Bios Urn costs 145USD and you can get it from http://www.urnabios.com/shop If you need more information you can check http://www.urnabios.com/urn , http://www.urnabios.com/faq or email us at [email protected]
So I don’t have to plant this right away it can sit for awhile an the tree won’t grow? It will be for me could you send me information about this. Thanks
Hello Sandee, the Bios Urn doesn’t have expiration date. So you can keep it saved for as long as you want. If you don’t plan to plant your bios Urn anytime soon, we recommend you to get a Bios Urn without seed. http://www.urnabios.com/shop/seed
This is a wonderful concept. So can anyone plant it in their back yard?
Hello Rose, thank you so much! Yes, you can plant your Bios Urn in your back yard, checkout our new product http://www.urnabios.com/incube
Could you please send more information to my email please! Such exciting news!
Hello,
We just sent you an email! Please let us know if you need anything else.
Do you do fruit trees?
Hello Nicholas, we do not offer fruit tree options, but you can use fruit tree seeds with a Bios Urn!
I just wanted to tell you what an amazing idea this is! I love plants and trees and I can’t get over the excitement of what you are creating!
I see it as life after death. A new beginning filled with earthy natural elements like fresh air, water and soil!
Love it and will be sharing it with my family!
Best wishes, and continue to make this a better world by providing the means to others to give life to their loved ones through an earthy living beautiful tree or plant.
Maggie
Thank you!
Thank you for such a kind comment Maggie! We truly appreciate your support. We will keep on pushing forward, as much as we can.
I want to do this! When I die, I want to have my funeral with a borrowed casket, then have me cremated and the ashes put in one of these urns with a maple seed because I love those trees! Then I want my family to plant the urn on property of their choosing, whether it be our backyard or wherever, I just want to have a plaque stone in front of it with my story and leave this as a legacy! I am a Christian, so I know that I will one day be resurrected, and God will transform me. I do not want to be buried in a cemetary, I just want to be part of nourishment for a beautiful act of God. ….a beautiful tree! Thank you!